Floor-surfacing machine



- I H. H. WOLFE. FLOOR SURFACING MACHINE. APPEICAT10N FILED MAY 9, I921-1 43 ,2 3 I 'Patented De'c.12,1 922.

Patented Dec. 12, 1922.

UNITE STATES HARRY H. WOLFE, or TOLEDO, OHIO,

PATENT OFFl-CE.

A SSIGNOR TO THEAMERICAN FLOOR SURFACING MACHINE COMPANY, OF TOLEDO,OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

FLOOR-SURFACING MACHINE.

Application filed May 9, 1921. Serial in}. 468,194.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY H. WOLFE, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, havemade an invention appertaining to Floor-Surfacing Machines; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to thecharacters of reference marked thereon, which form apart of thisspecification. n

Thisinvention relates to machines for surfacing floors of terrazzo,marble, mosaic, composition, tile or the like.

An object of my invention is the provision, in a machine of the classdescribed, of a rocking joint between the truck and frame which willpermit the truck and grinding disks or, heads to have relative rockingmovements to accommodate themselves to any unevenness in a floor overwhich operating without rocking the machine frame.

In the use of machines'of this character, considerable difficulty isexperienced by reason of thealkaline slush, in which the grinding diskswork, entering the wheel bearings and soon destroying the same; Anobject of the invention is to so mount the truck Wheels of the machineas to permit free differential movements thereof and to pro-' tect theirbearings'from the. alkaline slush in which the wheels work, and which isthrown on the wheels and carrying parts by the rotation of the abradingdisks.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a simple,efficient and improved means for securing the .abrading blocks in thedisks or carrying heads.

The invention is fully described in the following specification, andwhile, in its broader aspect, it is capable of embodiment in numerousforms, a preferred embodiment thereof is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which,--

Figure lvis a vertical longitudinal section of the machine on the line1-1 in Fig. 2, with parts in full and parts broken away. Fig. 2 is across-section th cof on the line 22 in Fig. 1, with a part-broken away.

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of a block holding disk with a set ofabradingblocks secure therein, and Figf f is an enlarged fragmentarysection across the diskand one of th blocks carried thereby.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designatesv the machine frame forming aplatform on its top for supporting a motor 2, in the present instance,of the electric type, and having its forward end provided at oppositesides thereof with vertical bearings3, 3 in each of which is mounted ashaft carrying at its lower end a rotary disk or abrading blockcarrying-head 4. The upper end of each shaft has beveled gear connection5'with' a cross shaft 6 suitably journaled in the frame and providedwith a sprocket-wheel 7 in con-- 10, whereby the truck is permitted tohave free transverse rocking movements relative to the frame. The truckframe-12 forms an axle housing 14 in each endportion in which anindependent differentially rotatable shaft section 15 is journaled. Atruck' wheel 16 is fixed to the outer end of each axle sectionwhereby-the wheel and axle are caused to turn together. Each'axlesection has a pair of bearings 17 within the" axle housing'and protectedthereby from the slush in which the machine is operated. The axlehousing at each end has a guard 18 extending partly around therespective wheel 16 to protect the wheel and its axle as much aspossible from the slush thrown by the abrading disk. The axle 15 of thetruck is referably disposed in a vertical plane with t e motor shaftaxis a so that the weight of the'inotor is equally distributed at bothsides of the axle.

The rotarydisks & are provided on their undersideswitha plurality ofpairs of ribs forming grooves l9 for receiving abrading blocks 20. Ithas heretofore been customary to secure the abrading blocksin the diskgrooves by the use of metal wedges driven;

into the grooves between a side thereof and a block disposed therein. Itis found, however, that these wedges due to the unyielding nature ofboth the blocksand the groove.

- metal wedges'heretofore employed. I

It is evident that the mounting of the frame on the truck to permit arelative transverse rocking thereof is quite an important feature inmachines of this class as it allows the abrading disks and truck to haveany movement necessary to accommodate themselves to any unevenness inthe floor over which operating, thereby facilitating the action of themachine and enhancing its practicability andcommercial value. It is alsoevident that by disposing the truck hearings in protecting positionwithin the axle housing and providing each wheel with an independentaxle section, the wheels are permitted to have free independent ordifferential turning movements and the bearings therefor are protectedfrom the deteriorating action of .the slush in which the machine isworking, thereby materially prolonging the life of the bearings and theeasy running of the machine.

I wish it understood that my invention is not limited to any specificconstruction, arrangement or form of the parts, as it is capable ofembodiment in numerous forms Without departing from the spiritof .the

claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new'and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is,

1. In a floor surfacing machine, a frame forming a motor support andhaving'a pair of transversely spaced vertical bearings at one end,shafts journaled in said bearings and having rotary abrading heads. attheir lower ends, a motor mounted on tie rear portion of the frame withits shaft transverse thereto, driving connection between the motor andvertical shafts, and a sup porting truck for the frame disposed.directly beneath the motor and connected to the frame for transverserocking movements relative thereto.

2. In a floor surfacing machine, a frame having at its forward end apair of transversely spaced downwardly extending vertical bearings,shafts journaled in said bearings and having rotary abradingheads attheir lowerends, a motor mounted onithe' rear portion of the frame withits shaft transverse thereto, driving connection between the motor andshafts, a pair of truck bearings at the under side of the rear portionof the frame spaced longitudinally thereof and axially aligned with apoint midway between theaxes of the vertical bearings, one of said truckbearings being disposed at each side of a vertical planeparallel to andintersecting the motor shaft axis, and a two-wheel truck pivotal-1yconnected to the truck bearings for transverse rocking movements in avertical plane relative to the truck.

3. In a floorsurfacing machine, a frame having at its forward end a pairof trans versely spaced downwardly extending bearings, shafts 'ournaledin said bearings and having abra ing heads at their lower ends, a motormounted on the rear portion of the frame, driving connectionbetween-the.

motor and shafts, a truck frame disposed directly below the motor andconnected to the frame for transverse rocking movements relative theretowith its rocking axis aligning. with a point substantially centralbetween said shafts, shaft sections journaled in and projecting fromopposite ends of the truck frame for differential rotation, therein, anda wheel fixed to the outer end of each shaft section, the truck framehaving a guard projecting therefrom around the side of each wheeladjacent to a shaft abradin head. I

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name to thisspecification.

HARRY H. WOLFE.

